The Letters of Neji Hyuga
by The Ramen Club
Summary: AU/-Two strangers exchange letters over the course of a few months until they decide to meet one day at a coffee-shop. Is one of them keeping a secret?


**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto**

* * *

 **Summary:** _Two strangers exchange letters over the course of a few months until they decide to meet one day at a coffee-shop. Is one of them keeping a secret?_

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

 **: : The Letters of Neji Hyuga : :**

 **.**

 **.**

 **.**

The café was abuzz during the lunch hour. It's how it always was at the time but it didn't bother Neji. He had taken up a seat by the window, with a steaming cup of Americano, no sugar added. He checked his wrist watch and waited, drumming his slender fingers on the table-top as he looked about the café, at the food being served, the waiters getting either tipped or barked at, at the customers occupied in their conversations, their world moving slower than his. Filled with more excitement than misfortunes, or at least more things to talk about. Neji didn't have a lot of things to talk about, so he wondered what he was going to say today. He picked up the napkin set on the table and coughed into it and then took a sip of the coffee, the warm liquid gushing down his throat, soothing it.

His gaze fell on the entrance where a girl stood, clutching the strap of her handbag, and scanned the premises. Her long braid reached down till her back and she was dressed, to Neji's bewilderment, in a track suit. He remembered from one of their previous exchanges that she had mentioned she was an avid fan of sports and fitness, of the adrenaline rush and the blood pulsing through her body, flushed cheeks and dripping sweat. _It makes me feel alive_ , she had said. How nice it would be to know that feeling and relish it.

She looked over at him and breathed a sigh of relief, as if spotting more unknown faces was a nerve-wracking task for her. He gave her a small wave and she walked over to the table with a beaming smile and sat down.

 **x**

 _Dear person,_

 _I don't know who you are or where you live (okay I may know where you live or else I wouldn't be sending this to a random address)or what you're doing right now, but I'm writing this to you because I have no one else to talk to. And maybe you'll listen to me, or crumple this up into a ball and throw it away in the trash can._

 _I hope you actually do read it. I hope you're the kind of person who listens to strangers without judgement._

 _-T_

 **x**

She ordered black coffee, and put in three spoons of sugar. She waited for him to speak, or so he assumed. If only he knew where to start. She propped her arm up on the table and rested her chin on her palm, studying him. Neji traced his fingers around the rim of his cup in thought, the gravity of the silence between them pressing down further, almost suffocating him.

This was easier when there was a pen and a piece of paper involved, he mused.

"You don't have anything to say?" she finally spoke up, folding her arms.

"I'm surprised you even showed up", he said with a smirk.

"Well, why wouldn't I? You asked me to meet you in our last letter, didn't you?" her eyebrows creased at the possible notion that he might have invited her on a whim and not really meant it.

"Of course I did", he nodded, looking at the paleness of his hands and how it almost blended with the table cloth. The clanking of utensils, the chewing of food and the murmurs of the customers filled the air around them as they both measured their words in their heads.

 **x**

 _Dear T,_

 _If you need someone to talk to, then I guess I can listen. I wasn't a very good listener before but I'm learning with time. I'm not doing much right now. I was going through a book on optical illusions, actually, and it made me think of the optical illusions that are not just in print form but also the ones around us. The ones we fail to see in our day to day to lives. Have you ever thought about those? Or do I sound like some boring old prick to you? I'm not a 70 year old man in a rocking chair. Don't worry._

 _-N_

 **x**

"How come you order black coffee and then add so much sugar to it?" Neji asked with a genuine look of curiosity. "Most people drink it because they enjoy the bitterness."

She smiled as she lifted her cup to her lips. "That's the thing with black coffee. You can take it however you want to. Some people add cream in it, some add milk. All I add is a little bit of sugar. To sweeten things up. It still retains the original flavour though." Neji nodded in acknowledgement before lowering his head to trace the embroidery on the table-cloth, still wondering what should be said. And how it should be phrased.

Neji Hyuga never had a problem with talking, even when he talked very little. But when he did, the words were concise and spoken with purpose.

He coughed again into the napkin and dismissed the look of concern the girl gave him upon hearing the rackety sound.

"Tell me about yourself", she said, leaning back in her seat.

"Other than the stuff we talk about in our letters?" he asked with a raised brow.

"Yes", and he couldn't refuse staring at her smile, the way her cheeks dimpled and her pink lips curled up, showing sparkling and perfectly aligned teeth. "I mean, this is the first time we've met in person so, I guess it would be a bit different."

 **x**

 _Dear N,_

 _No you don't sound like a prick at all. Actually, you sound very interesting. You think about things most people don't bother with. I like that. Well, I haven't really thought of optical illusions in that way. I guess some people are not what they seem to be. I mean a corporate executive could be a part-time kick boxer and you'd never know. Or a hooker could be a librarian during the day and read fairy tales and adventure books to children. Do you think lying is ever okay? Or cheating? Because that's what my boyfriend did a few weeks back and I punched him in the face when I found out. Do you think I went too far?_

 _-T_

 **x**

He looked out the window, at the grey clouds and the bleak streets, all early signs of winter. But there was still a sort of calmness about it, a sense of serenity. He had always felt that way about winter. Maybe that's why it was his favourite season, even though he had to put on at least 5 layers of clothing before stepping out of the house. He looked back at the girl, who was now munching on a chocolate biscotti.

"My friends call me a genius", he said. "It sounds pretentious of me to say it but it's true. I'm the kind of genius people hate mostly. The kind who thinks of himself as someone superior than others, who doesn't stand for acts of idiocy. That's the kind of genius I've been labelled as." He let out a sigh, a mixture of disappointment and sadness. "I wasn't aware of it until this one knucklehead confronted me about it."

He paused, pressing his lips together. "Sometimes I think back on how I used to be and I hate myself… "

The girl tilted her head to the side and narrowed her eyes before saying: "What does your family think of you?"

"My father died when I was five and my uncle takes great pride in me. But I no longer want to be someone's pride and joy. I guess it's too late for that."

"It's never too late to turn things around. And you shouldn't hate yourself for your past." Her tone was soothing, soft, like a warm cup of tea in the frigid cold.

 **x**

 _Dear T,_

 _I'm sorry to hear about that. About your boyfriend I mean. You don't deserve that. And I agree with your examples on optical illusions. I'm having a hard time imagining a hooker being a librarian though, but anything can happen. Anything is possible. Lying maybe okay on some occasions but cheating never is. I don't know what you might have gone through since I've avoided being in a relationship all my life._

 _-N_

 _P.S. Please find attached some scans from the book. I hope you enjoy looking through them._

 **x**

"I'm an only child", she began. "I grew up watching Disney movies and I always asked myself why the female protagonist just had to end up with the male in one way or another. My favourite was, and will always be, Mulan though- Don't laugh!" she piped, on seeing Neji covering his mouth to hold back from chuckling.

"I'm sorry, I'm not making fun of you", he waved his hand dismissively and the girl resumed her narrative.

"I just love the idea of women and young girls fighting for what they believe in. I guess they're calling it feminism now. I think it's really important, to treat women equally. Sometimes my dad finds it annoying because I can spontaneously break out into a rant at the dinner table. And my dad would pause in the middle of twirling his spaghetti and look at me and sigh. As if I'm out of my mind, or am some kind of an alien to him. My mother doesn't say anything. I help her with the work around the house- cooking, cleaning, washing the dishes, getting the groceries. Sometimes I get angry at my dad for coming home late and spending the rest of the night watching TV before having dinner and going to bed."

Neji nodded in understanding, and drank down the last dregs of his Americano.

"I ask myself", she said, looking down at her lap. "Why are women stuck in this whirl of trying to please everyone when we want to fight for our dreams? Is this all that there really is?"

 **x**

 _Dear N,_

 _Today, while waiting at the train station, I happened to notice a couple on a bench engaging in a public display of affection. And it made me think, is it really necessary that you love someone only if you want to touch them? Is there no other way to express love? I've always pictured love to be something that happens when you can listen to someone talk forever, or when their happiness means more to you than your own. Does it have to be so dependant and reliant? Does it always have to be about lust? I'm sorry if this makes you uncomfortable in any way. I just felt like maybe I could talk to you about this._

 _-T_

 **x**

"So how were you in school?" Neji asked, folding his hands together. The girl pondered over his question, tapping at her chin.

"I was amazing at sports, but I guess you've already figured that out", she said with a giggle. "I was average in studies. I got a sports scholarship to my current college. I'm studying graphic designing." The waiter stopped by at their table to ask about the service, before Tenten proceeded. "There are only a few girls in my class for some reason. What about you?"

Neji coughed again, his chest tightening, breathing becoming choked. He tried to clear his throat, but this time he couldn't ignore her looking at him with worried brown eyes.

"Are you okay?" she asked, a slight dread in her tone.

"Yeah, it's nothing." He sat up straight and cleared his throat once more. "I was in the judo club at school. I was a model student actually. The teachers really praised me but everyone else hated me." He gave her a sad smile and shrugged his shoulders. "Right now, I'm studying law. My uncle wanted me to get into the family business after I graduate, but I really want to become a lawyer."

"That's quite impressive", Tenten marvelled.

 **x**

 _Dear T,_

 _I know what you mean. I see a lot of those on my way to college, and even on college grounds. About your description of love, I don't exactly agree with it and don't completely disagree either. In a way, romantic love has always been like that. The want to touch. I find that quite intriguing if I think about it for too long, because it's like this. You love something so much that you keep doubting yourself if it really exists. You think it might be just your mind playing tricks on you, a figment of your imagination. But it's not. It's there and it's very real. And how do you affirm that? You touch. You touch until you start believing that this miracle exists outside your head. I guess that's why people fall for touch. For the contact. But I prefer both ways. I prefer the feeling of wanting to protect someone and putting their happiness before yours and I also prefer holding them so you know you're not dreaming. I hope that answers your question._

 _-N_

 _P.S. I know you like traditional weapons, and so I found a book about them in a vintage book store I frequent. I thought of sending it to you. I hope you like it._

 **x**

"Do you believe in fate?" she asked out of the blue, not looking up from her empty cup.

It was all he ever thought of, to be honest. Day and night. Fate existed, he knew. It was fate that he had gotten a beating that one time from the knuckleheaded blond kid. It was fate that he ended up like this. It was fate that he had met her but this time, he wondered if fate will ever be kind to him. If it will ever let him break free. He had so much to say to her but the words were lost somewhere in his itching throat. He had so much to talk about on fate. Destiny. How you can make your own and it doesn't have to be a curse. But these days, he did feel it was one.

"I do", he sighed.

 **x**

 _Dear N,_

 _It's odd how I've become so acquainted with you over the past months. It's almost as if I've known you my whole life. Do you find that strange?"_

 _-T_

 **x**

"My cousin is getting married to the knucklehead who punched me once", he said with a laugh. "She's like my sister. But you know, he's actually a pretty cool guy. Talked some sense into me."

"Congratulations!" she gleamed, her face brightening up, and after a long time Neji felt his chest loosen up.

 **x**

 _Dear T,_

 _I don't find it strange at all. In fact, I quite enjoy our exchange of letters as well._

 _-N_

 **x**

"By the way, why did you call me here today anyway?" she asked. "You didn't even properly reply to my previous letter."

 **x**

 _Dear N,_

 _It may sound weird._

 _Please don't laugh_

 _I think I may have fallen for you._

 _-T_

 **x**

Neji twiddled his fingers nervously, feeling a tennis ball lodged in his throat. His chest was constricting again, this time at the lack of words instead of oxygen.

"Yeah, there's something I have to tell you."

 **x**

 _Dear T,_

 _I want to meet you. How about the coffee shop at Tsukiyomi Boulevard?_

 _-N_

 **x**

"What is it?" she said, placing a warm hand on his pale, tensed one.

He took in deep breaths- inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Focusing on his breathing calmed him down at times.

"Lung cancer. Final stage," he announced. It took her a while to register his words, her smile faltering, and then with a jolt, she withdrew her hand as if she had received an electric shock. She stared at him in horror.

 **x**

 _Dear T,_

 _How have you been? It's been a long time since we last exchanged letters. I hope you're doing well. When are you going to graduate?_

 _-N_

 **x**

 _Dear T,_

 _I hope you're not mad at me. The truth is I didn't know how to tell you. I wish I could have earlier. Fate is a funny thing isn't it._

 _-N_

 **x**

 _Dear T,_

 _My cousin really wants to meet you. I've told her some things about you and she's really intrigued. I've attached her residential address and contact number if you ever want to pay her a visit. She's a really sweet girl._

 _-N_

 **x**

 _Dear T,_

 _This may be my last letter to you. I'm not sure what's happening. I coughed up a lot of blood this morning. I'm sorry I just gave you such a gory detail. Don't hate me please. I wish I could have told you earlier. That's my only regret. But I want to tell you something. I think the biggest optical illusion we live in is ourselves and our approach to everyday life. Because there are many things we keep denying the existence of until something actually happens. This is exactly what I did. Other times, we take things for granted. As if they can never be taken away from us._

 _Don't be that person. Don't be someone who waits for an opportunity or the right time. Remember our talks about how geniuses are born with it and others have to work hard? I still had to work hard. And so do many other geniuses. Work hard, and accomplish your dreams. I hope your parents understand that one day._

 _I love you._

 _And I'm sorry._

 _-Love N_

 **x**

 **1 year later**

 _Dear N,_

 _I bought an optical illusions book the other day. It has some very interesting stuff. I attached the scans you sent me once to it so now it's even thicker. I visited your cousin, whose address you gave me. She was very happy to see me. She's such a hospitable girl! She just gave birth to an adorable son. They named him after you. An inside joke I didn't understand._

 _Are you enjoying your freedom?_

 _Sometimes I take the bus and I see a couple and I think to myself that it would have been nice. But then I shake my head trying to get those thoughts out._

 _I made you a flower wreath. The daisies I bought from a store and the sunflowers are from your cousin's garden. My bad. I hope you like it._

 _-_ _Love Tenten._

 **End.**


End file.
